1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the extraction of metal values from aqueous solutions and in particular to modifiers for aldoxime extractant employed for extraction of metals, particularly copper values.
2. Statement of Related Art
The present invention relates generally to solvent extraction processes for recovery of metal values from aqueous solutions and, more particularly, to formulative procedures for developing improved solvent extraction reagents and to the use of such reagents in recovery of, e.g., copper values.
The starting material for large scale solvent extraction processing of copper is an aqueous leach solution obtained from a body of ore which contains a mixture of metals in addition to copper. The leaching medium dissolves salts of copper and other metals as it trickles through the ore, to provide an aqueous solution of the mixture of metal values. The metal values are usually leached with sulfuric acid medium, providing an acidic aqueous solution, but can also be leached by ammonia to provide a basic aqueous solution.
The aqueous solution is mixed in tanks with an extraction reagent which is dissolved in an organic solvent, e.g., a kerosene. The reagent includes an extractant chemical which selectively forms metal-extractant complex with the copper ions in preference to ions of other metals. The step of forming the complex is called the extraction or loading stage of the solvent extraction process.
The outlet of the mixer continuously feeds to a large settling tank, where the organic solvent (organic phase), now containing the copper-extractant complex in solution, is separated from the depleted aqueous solution (aqueous phase). This part of the process is called phase separation. Usually, the process of extraction is repeated through two or more mixer/settler stages, in order to more completely extract the desired metal.
After extraction, the depleted aqueous feedstock (raffinate) is either discharged or recirculated to the ore body for further leaching. The loaded organic phase containing the dissolved copper-extractant complex is fed to another set of mixer tanks, where it is mixed with an aqueous strip solution of concentrated sulfuric acid. The highly acid strip solution breaks apart the copper-extractant complex and permits the purified and concentrated copper to pass to the strip aqueous phase. As in the extraction process described above, the mixture is fed to another settler tank for phase separation. This process of breaking the copper-extractant complex is called the stripping stage, and the stripping operation is repeated through two or more mixer-settler stages to more completely strip the copper from the organic phase.
From the stripping settler tank, the regenerated stripped organic phase is recycled to the extraction mixers to begin extraction again, and the strip aqueous phase is customarily fed to an electrowinning tank-house, where the copper metal values are deposited on plates by a process of electrodeposition. After electrowinning the copper values from the aqueous solution, the solution, known as spent electrolyte, is returned to the stripping mixers to begin stripping again.
Modifiers of extraction and stripping equilibria are frequently incorporated in those commercial reagent formulations which include the so-called "strong" extractants. Such extractants are capable of forming a very stable complex association with copper at quite low pH's and, consequently, require the use of very highly acidic aqueous stripping solutions in order to effect the breakdown of the copper-extractant complex. Where extreme acidity of stripping solutions generates problems in employing conventional electrodeposition processes, modifiers are incorporated to shift equilibria in a manner facilitating stripping at lower acidities and to enhance overall metal extraction efficiency. A wide variety of modifier chemicals has been proposed for use in formulation of solvent extraction reagents for copper. These have included: long chain (C.sub.6 to C.sub.20) aliphatic alcohols such as isodecanol, 2-ethylhexanol, and tridecanol; long chain alkyl phenols such as nonylphenol.
The use of kinetic additives and equilibrium modifiers has not been without drawbacks in the overall efficiency of solvent extraction processes in terms of the long range stability of reagents and the sensitivity of reagents to contaminants in aqueous feedstocks. Amines such as tertiary amines (Alamine.RTM. 336) are very strong modifiers of oximes but due to their tendency to transfer acid into the organic phase, amines also catalyze the hydrolysis of the oximes. However, by pairing a strongly acidic organic acid with the amine to form a salt, one can still achieve very strong modification of the oxime, while minimizing the rate of hydrolysis of the oxime. Also, as an example, while the minor proportion of kinetic additive present with the hydroxy aryl ketoxime extractant in the LIX.RTM.64N reagent formulation provides for kinetic enhancement in the use of the ketoxime, the additive is less stable toward hydrolytic degradation than the ketoxime. When used under operating conditions which are optimal for ketoxime extractant efficiency, the aliphatic .alpha.-hydroxy oxime thus tends to be depleted from continuous system more rapidly than the ketoxime. Similarly, hydroxy aryl aldoxime extractants are less stable in use than ketoximes and are rendered even more unstable by the presence of large quantities of nonylphenol. Alkyl phenol equilibrium modifiers, have also been noted to have severe deleterious effects on structural components of solvent extraction facilities, such as rubber linings, fittings, valves and the like.
In some cases, the combination of the modifier used in the extractant, with the contaminants present in the aqueous feedstock results in the generation of interfacial crud which must be continually removed from the solvent extraction circuit. In these cases, it is desirable to run with the minimum amount of modifier to achieve effective stripping and maximum net copper transfer, while at the same time, minimizing crud formation.
As is apparent from the foregoing, there exists a general need in the art for reagents for solvent extraction for the recovery of copper values which display efficient characteristics preferably with diminished quantities of additive or equilibrium modifiers. There is accordingly a need for modifiers which will provide increased net copper transfer by an extractant such as an aldoxime extractant.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,268 to Henkel Corporation describes extraction reagents formulated with various oxime extractants, including hydroxyaryl aldoxime extractants, which are employed in water immiscible organic solvents, such as kerosene, with certain equilibrium modifiers such as, phenols and alcohols (tridecanol, a commercially available branched chain alcohol) or tributyl phosphate. In defining the amount of modifier which would result in increased net copper transfer with the particular aldoxime employed, exemplified more particularly by 2-hydroxy-5-nonylbenzaldoxime, the patentee developed a "degree of modification" test. As employed there and herein, "degree of modification" designates the inverse ratio of (a) the stripped solvent copper level of an hydroxy aryl aldoxime extractant at equilibrium (expressed in terms of grams per liter of copper) extracted with an aqueous solution containing a fixed concentration of copper and sulfuric acid to (b) the stripped solvent copper level of the same extractant under the same conditions when a selected equilibrium modifier additive is present. Consistent with this definition, the presence of relatively small quantities of an equilibrium modifier will shift the extraction equilibrium slightly, resulting in minor diminution of aldoxime stripped solvent copper level at equilibrium, as will be reflected by a degree of modification value closely approaching 1.0, e.g., 0.99. Increased effective quantities of modifier under otherwise identical conditions will result in a more pronounced shift in extraction equilibrium and a more pronounced diminution of aldoxime stripped solvent copper level at equilibrium, as will be reflected by a degree of modification corresponding less than 1.0.
Expectedly the degree of modification resulting from a given molar ratio of equilibrium modifier to aldoxime in a reagent will vary depending on various factors, most significantly the chemical identity and nature of the equilibrium modifier, but also the conditions involved in determining the degree of modification of an aldoxime by a given equilibrium modifier. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,268 the following test conditions were to be adhered to for purposes of determining the degree of modification. The temperature at which the determination is made should be about 24.degree. C. The molar concentration of aldoxime (or mixture of aldoximes) in the diluent should be about 0.184 as determined by copper loading and titration and an aldoxime stock of approximately 94 percent purity (with the remainder being substantially alkyl phenol starting material residue) should be employed. The diluent should be Escaid 100 or a mixture of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons closely approximating the constitution of Escaid 100. An atomic absorption methodology should be employed for determining copper content. The composition of the strip solution should be 150 g/l sulfuric acid and 30 g/l Cu.sup.+2.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,142,952 similarly employed a mixture of 5-nonylphenols as a modifier for oximes such as 5-nonyl or 5-heptyl salicylaldoxime.
More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,785 described the use of branched chain aliphatic or aromatic-aliphatic (or aliphatic) alcohols containing 14 to 30 carbon atoms or aliphatic or aromatic-aliphatic esters containing 10 to 30 carbon atoms wherein the ratio of the number of methyl carbon atoms to the number of non-methyl carbon atoms is higher than 1:5.